


Wormwood and Wrackspurts

by Zorak23



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: CluelessNeville, F/F, Facebook: The Fairest of the Rare, Fairest of the Rare's Love Fest 2021, Flower Language, Flutterby, LF2021, Love Fest 2021, SayItWithFlowers, TeamCass, TeamSteve, Wrackspurts (Harry Potter), butterfly pea flowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:42:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29593677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zorak23/pseuds/Zorak23
Summary: Luna finally proves everyone wrong, and bags herself an unexpected specimen in the process.
Relationships: Luna Lovegood/Pomona Sprout
Comments: 12
Kudos: 9
Collections: Love Fest 2021





	Wormwood and Wrackspurts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AmbiguousGoldfish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmbiguousGoldfish/gifts).



> This was written for AmbiguousGoldfish and The Fairest of The Rare’s Love Fest 2021. #TeamCass #TeamSteve
> 
> Prompt: Luna/Pomona. Can one brew a tea from plants in the herbology greenhouse that temporarily gives them the ability to see wrackspurts?
> 
> As always, Black Lives Matter and trans rights are human rights.

**July, 2001**

**Staff Room, Hogwarts**

“Professor Sprout, I’ve an owl from Luna Lovegood. She wants to know if she can come visit next week.”

“Neville, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you to call me Pomona,” his mentor sighed. “You’re my apprentice now, not my student. But please tell Miss Lovegood she’s welcome anytime.”

Neville grinned and ducked his head bashfully. He still wasn’t used to the relaxed atmosphere of being an adult in the castle, even though he’d started his Herbology apprenticeship nearly a year ago. During the summer, he’d been surprised to find it wasn’t just the two of them who lived at Hogwarts year round. He knew the greenhouses would need their attention, but several other Professors called the castle their permanent home as well. 

“Did Miss Lovegood say why she was coming?” Filius asked.

“Yes, sir. Apparently she’s run across a flowering flutterby bush, and thinks she’s come up with a tea that will allow the drinker to see Wrackspurts.”

“A flutterby bush _in bloom?”_ Pomona all but squealed, making several people snicker at her predictable reaction. “Neville! Those only bloom once a _century!”_

“I know! I’m ever so excited to see the flowers she’s collected.” No one was surprised at his enthusiasm, either. “She says she’s pressed some for us, as well as taken photographs of the plant for our records. The monastery she visited planted a new bush every month for a hundred years, so there are always flowers in bloom.”

Pomona leapt to her feet and all but dragged Neville from the room. Filius, Sybill, and Aurora laughed as they heard the pair animatedly discussing the monastery and the various uses of the plant as they headed out to the greenhouses. After a moment, Filius sighed heavily and looked rather resigned. 

“How long until I receive a request for a copious supply of flutterby bush seeds, and an unending amount of new greenhouses?” he wondered.

* * *

**24 July, 2001**

**Greenhouse Seven, Hogwarts**

“Hello, Neville,” came an ethereal voice through the ferns in the greenhouse, and Neville grinned widely. 

“Luna!” He quickly wiped his hands on his heavy leather apron and made his way through the plants to hug his friend. “I’ve missed you!”

“I’ve missed you, too,” she replied, patting him on the back. “But I’m quite sure you’re more excited about what I’ve brought you than you are to see me.”

“Never,” he insisted, blushing madly. “But… er, if you wanted to show me…”

Luna laughed heartily, and gestured to the bags at her feet. “Of course. Is Professor Sprout around? I’m sure she’d be interested, as well.”

“Right. Let me go get her. We’re both ecstatic to see you, you know. I promise. It’s not just for the flowers.”

“I know, Neville,” Luna smiled. “Don’t worry.”

The rest of the day was spent with Luna snickering at the pair of Herbologists as they gushed about the flutterby flowers. The photographs and pressed flowers were cooed over, the dried blooms nearly sent Pomona into palpitations, and best of all, the cuttings from the ancient bushes themselves had the pair falling all over themselves in thanks. 

Over dinner that evening, Luna discussed her proposed tea with both Filius and Pomona. They were interested to learn about the muggle butterfly pea flower tea—which Pomona insisted on calling a tinsane, as it had no actual tea in it at all—and found the use of morning dew collected from the leaves of the wormwood plant to be inspired. 

“Wormwood is very bitter, and can be toxic at high concentrations,” Pomona said. “But certain types also have hallucinogenic properties. I imagine using morning dew from the leaves of _Artemisia absinthium_ would enhance the ability to see that which is normally invisible.”

“Quite clever, indeed, Miss Lovegood,” Filius added. And the butterfly pea flower tea—er, tisane you brought is just delightful.”

“Thank you, sir,” Luna replied serenely. “I’ve brought Professor Sprout some butterfly pea flower cuttings, as well.” Pomona drew a sharp breath, and Luna winked at her. Neville looked at the pair oddly, but couldn’t figure out why his mentor was suddenly blushing.

* * *

**25 July, 2001**

**Great Hall, Hogwarts**

Everyone in residence at the castle had gathered at the staff table to watch Luna’s experiment. The elves had brought out a beautiful tea service, and she set to work brewing the dried flowers with the morning dew. Once finished, she poured a cup for everyone present. 

“I’d offer to go first to see if it worked, but I can see Wrackspurts anyway,” she shrugged. “It will be interesting to see if they change in any way, though.”

Most in attendance didn’t particularly believe that Wrackspurts existed in the first place, and were more interested in trying the tea. After all, it’s not everyday one gets to partake of a flower that blooms only once a century. Pomona had assured them all that it was non-toxic, however, so they’d decided to participate. 

“Bottom’s up,” Neville announced, before anyone could voice their opinions on the outcome. He tipped his cup to his lips, and took a deep swallow. Nothing seemed different at first, but then, just at the edges of his vision, he started to see… sparkles?

“Did it work?” Luna asked. “Nothing has changed for me. There’s a large infestation swarming around Professor Trenlawney, and Professor Sprout has quite a few, too.”

“I think… I think, yeah,” Neville muttered. “Yeah, do they look like little glowing balls of light? Kind of the same colour as the tea, but… brighter? And not completely round?”

“Yes, that’s them!” Luna said excitedly, bouncing up and down. 

“Oh well done, Miss Lovegood!” Filius praised. “This will get you written up in numerous publications! The implications alone… why, I’m quite amazed, dear!”

“They’re so tiny,” Sybill commented softly, reaching out to touch one. “And there’s so many…”

“I assume you’ll publish first in The Quibbler, dear,” said Aurora, “but I implore you to write to other, perhaps more scholarly journals as well.”

“Herbologists Weekly, for one,” Neville suggested. “I’m not sure what magical creature publications there are, though.”

“Weekly _and_ Monthly,” Pomona interjected. “In fact, I rather think I’ll send their publisher an owl…”

“How long does the effect last, I wonder?” asked Poppy. “Once we pin that down, you will be able to publish in Healer’s journals, as well.”

Luna looked around the ecstatic professors with wide eyes. “I rather thought I’d just publish my findings in The Quibbler,” she admitted. “I hadn’t thought about going elsewhere.”

“You should certainly give your father an exclusive, my dear,” agreed Filius. “But surely you can see that this has a wider audience than solely his readership. I’m confident Xenophilius will encourage you to do the same—as long as you stay away from The Daily Prophet, of course.”

Luna giggled at the thought, and Filius grinned at his former student. “There now. We’ll make you a list of publications to submit your article to, and we’ll even add our own experiences to it, as well. Minerva will be terribly upset that she missed your visit—I simply can’t wait to rub her nose in it!”

“The effect seems to be wearing off for me; I believe I shall go transfer those butterfly pea cuttings now,” Pomona said, looking at Luna with slightly flushed cheeks. “I don’t suppose you’d like to come see them once I have them settled?”

“That would be lovely, yes,” Luna replied with a smile. “I’ll be down as soon as I get the list of publications.” She grinned softly as the older woman hurried out of the Great Hall. 

After more praise from the other professors, and once she’d been given a sheet of parchment containing more periodicals than she’d known existed, Luna thanked them all and turned to leave the room as well.

“May I escort you to the greenhouses?” Neville asked. 

“Hmm. I suppose so.”

Neville offered her his arm, and led her out of the school. He took a deep breath and said, “I’ve been meaning to ask, Luna, if you’d care to get a drink with me sometime this weekend?”

Luna looked up at her friend in surprise. “I’m rather not sure if I’ll be busy or not, yet.”

“You’re not?” 

“Not yet, no,” Luna snickered at the confusion on Neville’s face, and decided to explain. “As a pureblood, I’m sure you know what it means to give someone a yellow iris.”

“Er, yeah,” he replied, blushing slightly. 

“And what it would mean if the recipient replied with jonquils.”

Eyes wide, he nodded. 

“Well, witches have their own flower language.”

“You do?”

“Yes.”

“And… it’s not the same as the one I know?”

“Of course not, silly.”

Neville rubbed the back of his neck in confusion. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“Neville. I gave a witch butterfly pea flowers.”

“Right.”

She sighed. “Do you know the Latin name for them?”

 _“Clitoria ternatea,”_ he replied instantly, with no measure of recognition in his eyes. 

Exasperated, Luna said, “For Merlin’s sake, Neville. The flowers look like female genitalia. Let me see how it goes with Pomona, and then I’ll let you know about this weekend, yeah?”


End file.
